Pete Buttigiegs Winning High School Essay "Bernie Sanders" - May 2000

FYI -I apologize if this has been posted previously.

"A new attitude has swept American politics. Candidates have discovered that is easier to be elected by not offending anyone rather than by impressing the voters. Politicians are rushing for the center, careful not to stick their necks out on issues. Most Democrats shy away from the word “liberal” like a horrid accusation. Republican presidential hopeful George W. Bush uses the centrist rhetoric of “compassionate conservatism” while Pat Buchanan, once considered a mainstream Republican, has been driven off the ideological edge of the G.O.P. Just as film producers shoot different endings and let test audiences select the most pleasing, some candidates run “test platforms” through sample groups to see which is most likely to win before they speak out on major issue. This disturbing trend reveals cynicism, a double-sided problem, which is perhaps, the greatest threat to the continued success of the American political system."
- Mayor Pete, 2000

Read in full here -
[link to www.jfklibrary.org (secure)]

Indiana Student’s Work Chosen as Best Entry in National John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest

"Peter Buttigieg, a senior at St. Joseph’s High School in South Bend, Indiana, will be honored by Caroline Kennedy and other members of President Kennedy’s family during a May 22, 2000 ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Library for his prize-winning entry in the national John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest for High School Students.

The Profile in Courage Essay Contest invites students from across the nation to write an essay about a current political issue at the local, state or national level and an elected official in the United States who is acting courageously to address that issue. The award is named for President Kennedys 1957 Pulitzer prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage, which recounts the stories of eight U.S. Senators who risked their careers to fight for what they believed in. The essay contest, which includes a $3,000 prize, is sponsored by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and Fleet Bank.

Buttigieg’s essay, which was chosen from more than 600 essays submitted by high school students across the nation, centered on the integrity and political courage demonstrated by U.S. Congressman Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the nation’s only Independent member of Congress.

“Sanders’ courage is evident in the first word he uses to describe himself: Socialist,” Buttigieg writes. His essay cites a number of the Congressman’s courageous and politically risky stands on issues facing the nation, including his strong support for gun control and same-sex marriages, and for his advocacy for senior citizens affected by inflated drug prices in the United States.

Noting that Sanders’ candor “does not in itself represent political courage,” Buttigieg’s essay cites the Congressman’s contribution as “a powerful force for conciliation and bi-partisanship on Capitol Hill.” He is one who represents President Kennedy’s ideal of “compromises of issues, not of principles,” Buttigieg writes. "

Press release here - [link to www.jfklibrary.org (secure)]


Pete loves him some socialism.

Last Edited by Blag Dahlia on 02/12/2020 06:10 PM